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1
The night before: tear or crumble the stale bread into rough crumbs. Sprinkle evenly with the salted water, toss to distribute, cover with a cloth, and leave overnight. The bread should be moistened through to its centre — neither wet nor dry. The next day the crumbs should hold their shape under light pressure without crumbling to dust.
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2
Heat the lard or olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over a medium flame. Add the tocino and fry until it renders its fat and colours at the edges, seasoning the cooking fat with a bacony depth. Add the garlic and fry alongside until golden and fragrant. Remove the garlic and tocino if wished, or leave them in the pan.
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3
Add the chorizo and fry briefly until it colours and yields its red fat into the pan.
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4
Add the moistened bread crumbs to the pan. Fry over a medium heat, turning and pressing the crumbs continuously, until they are crisp and golden on the outside yet retain a slight softness within. This is where the dish lives or dies: under-fried migas collapse into paste; properly fried migas hold a distinct crumb that is crunchy at the surface and yielding at the core. The sound shifts from a wet sizzle to a dry, crackling fry when the crumbs are ready.
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5
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pimentón and turn immediately through the crumbs off the flame — on direct heat the pimentón burns in seconds and turns bitter. Every crumb should be faintly coloured and aromatic.
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6
Serve at once with fried eggs alongside. Place the grapes, melon, or orange segments on the same plate — their sugar and acid cut through the fat and restore appetite.